Miniature rose plant named &#39;savared&#39;

ABSTRACT

‘SAVared’ is a new and distinct variety of miniature rose plant primarily identified by the very strong fragrance in a red miniature rose. The plant is upright with medium to dark green, matte foliage. The attractive flowers may occasionally have award winning, exhibition rose form, especially for the open bloom class. They are held well above the plant, borne singly on long stems and in small sprays, and good as cut flowers.

CROSS REFERENCE

This new invention relates to a new and distinct variety of hardy, dwarf, bush type rose plant, bearing some resemblance to ‘BENfebu’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/318,843 with a filing date of Dec. 13, 2002). The flowers of both cultivars are a similar shade of red, with 23 to 28 petals, with those petals being about as long as they are wide. Both cultivars are of an upright growing habit, reaching up to 30 inches tall, with flowers primarily borne singly under similar growing conditions. The two primary differences between BENfebu and the new cultivar are that ‘BENfebu’ has more of its dark red flowers borne in clusters and that the reverse of these petals is flushed with white while on this new cultivar, the dark red flowers are borne more often singly and on longer stems and the reverse of its petals is the near the same shade of red as the top of the petals. Additionally, the anthocyanin coloration of the stems and foliage is mostly absent on BENfebu while it is always present and sometimes strong on the new cultivar.

The known relationship between these plants is that the miniature rose variety, ‘Party Girl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,598, expired) is in the parentage of both plants in the second generation back, and the miniature rose variety ‘Baby Katie’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,471, expired) is in the third generation back for both plants.

RIGHTS TO THE INVENTION

Be it known that Wendy R. White of 147 Linebrook Road in Ipswich, Mass., claims invention of new and useful improvements in ROSE PLANT/var. ‘SAVared’, and following is a clear and exact description of the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Genus/species: Rosa hybrida ‘minima’

Varietal denomination: ‘SAVared’

Commercial Class: miniature rose

This present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of hardy, bush type plant of the miniature rose class. This new variety was created by me in a greenhouse in Rowley, Mass. by crossing the following two rose plants:

The seed parent is ‘Taxi’ (not under patent protection)

The pollen parent is an unintroduced seedling of [‘Patty Girl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,598, expired) by ‘SAVaspark’ (U.S. Pat. No. 9,799)] by ‘MACgenev’, (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,279).

The main purpose of this breeding program is to produce unique miniature roses with hybrid tea form. We are also trying to reintroduce fragrance into roses along with disease resistance. Our ideal miniature rose would have fragrance and excellent disease resistance, along with hardiness and exhibition, hybrid tea form blooms in abundance from late spring to late fall.

To achieve this goal, various fragrant roses have been brought into the breeding program which, besides fragrance, were chosen for disease resistance and hardiness and then for hybrid tea, exhibition form. Those roses are mostly hybrid tea roses and with a couple of florabundas. These larger fragrant roses are then crossed with miniature roses, chosen for their disease resistance, durability and quality of bloom production in hopes of producing fragrant, hardy, disease resistant, floriferous miniature roses.

To create this rose, I used the very fragrant, hybrid tea rose, ‘Taxi’, noted for its good disease resistance and hardiness, as the seed parent. The pollen parent was a seedling that was the result of crossing a very floriferous miniature seedling from earlier in the hybridizing program, by the very fragrant hybrid tea, ‘MACgenev’. This miniature seedling is, itself, fragrant and with tremendous bloom production and for those reasons was chosen for this particular cross.

This present invention, like its seed parent, ‘Taxi’, has red flowers with intense fragrance and with exhibition, hybrid tea form. Both plants have an upright growing habit. The most obvious difference between the two is that the seed parent is an hybrid tea rose while the new invention is a miniature rose. Although both roses are red, the new invention is a bluer-red while the seed parent is more of an orange-red.

The pollen parent is a fragrant, apricot miniature seedling. The similarities between this present invention and the pollen parent are the petal count and the fact that both are fragrant and miniature roses. This present invention is different from its pollen parent in plant habit and color. The new invention is red flowering and of upright habit. The pollen parent has medium-apricot colored flowers and a more spreading plant habit.

Asexual reproduction by cuttings of this new variety in Rowley, Mass., have shown root development to initiate in 1 to 2 weeks on cuttings taken from new growth, depending on light and temperature, and that these rooted cuttings, grown on, show all distinguishing characteristics to continually come true to form.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of hardy dwarf bush type rose plant of the miniature class; the variety being primarily characterized—as to novelty—by it's intense fragrance in a red miniature rose with hybrid tea type form.

The variety is further characterized by:

-   -   Flowers borne mostly singly on long stems, ideal for cutting.     -   Repeat of bloom from late spring to early autumn.     -   Matte foliage.     -   Flowers held above the foliage on long stems, suitable for         cutting.     -   A plant which grows and blooms both in the greenhouse and         outdoors in the garden or in large containers providing         decoration and fragrance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color photograph taken in September shows specimens of the flower of this new variety in different stages of development as grown under plastic in Essex County, in Massachusetts.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

Following is a detailed description in outline form pertaining specifically to this new and distinct variety of miniature rose plant as observed at 4 years of age, growing indoors, under plastic in 2 gallon containers, in Essex County, Massachusetts. All major color plate identifications made are referring to The Royal Horticulture Society Chart except where common terms of color definition are employed.

-   Genus/species: Rosa hybrida ‘minima’. -   Varietal denomination: ‘SAVared’. -   Commercial class: Miniature Rose.

FLOWERS

-   Blooming habit: recurrent. -   Borne: Mostly singly but also small clusters of 3 to 5. -   Bud: Size: up to {fraction (13/16)} inch in length and {fraction     (9/16)} inch diameter at the widest point just before the sepals     divide.     -   -   Form.—ovate with an acuminate tip.         -   Color.—When sepals first divide — near 60A. -   Sepals:     -   -   Color.—outer surface, anthocyanin coloration present;             general color is a medium, yellow-green, near 148C flushed             with near 60C. inside surface, a lighter yellow-green, near             138B and even lighter, near 138D at the center of each             sepal.         -   Size.—inner two sepals are 1⅛ inches long and {fraction             (5/32)} inch wide, outer three sepals are 1¼ inches long and             ⅜ inch wide (excluding any foliar appendages).         -   Characteristics.—elongate with lanceolate tip, especially on             the 3 outer sepals, occasionally teardrop with acuminate             apex especially on the 2 inner sepals; fused at the             receptacle; extending ½ inch beyond the tip of the bud just             before the sepals start to divide; the 3 outermost sepals             sometimes have 1 or 2 foliar appendages along one or both             margins; rolling back to the stem where they remain until             after the petals drop, being permanently attached to the             receptacle. -   Peduncle:     -   -   Length.—up to {fraction (1/14)} inches.         -   Aspect.—straight, upright.         -   Strength.—strong.         -   Color.—medium yellow-green, near 146D, anthocyanin             coloration present, flushing the peduncle with near 183A.         -   Texture.—glabrous. -   Receptacle:     -   -   Diameter.—{fraction (5/16)} inch.         -   Color.—a medium yellow-green, near 144C. -   Bloom:     -   -   Size.—When fully expanded, averaging 2 inches across.         -   Form.—High centered at first with a convex upper profile and             the lower profile becoming flat; full open it has a             flattened convex upper profile and an arched lower profile.         -   Petalage.—under normal conditions 23 to 27, most often             having 24.         -   Fragrance.—strong.         -   Lasting quality as cut flower.—5 to 9 days.         -   Petals.—Texture: glabrous Appearance: Inside — velvety,             outside — satiny Form: broad spatulate Base of petals: oval             Length and width outer petals: {fraction (13/16)} inch wide             by {fraction (12/16)} inch long Arrangement: arranged             shingle like around receptacle Persistence: usually drop off             cleanly in 7 to 10 days.         -   Color.—during the first few days — Inner petals at the             center of the flower: Upper surface is a cardinal red,             between 53A and 53B; reverse is between 184B and 53B and a             very light chartreuse green, near 1D, at the point of             attachment. Outer petals — near 53B with near 59B feathering             up and out from the center and base of the petals; reverse —             near 187A, blending to near 59A at the margins and near 185C             feathering from the center and base of petal and             occasionally from a near white streak of near 159D going up             the middle from the base of the petal and, at the point of             attachment, a greenish-white, near 150D When half blown, the             center petals are a currant red, between 46A and 46B;             reverse is near 53B; outer petals are near 46B and the             reverse is near 53B; and near 1D at the point of attachment.             As flower ages, the color lightens with both the inner and             outer petals becoming near 68B with near 68A in the center             and towards the base of each petal and near white, near             155D, at the base and point of attachment, just before the             petals drop.         -   General tonality.—cardinal red.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

-   Stamens, filaments and anthers: Arrangement: (regularly arranged     around styles) Quantity: 65 to 75.     -   -   Filaments.—length — avg. {fraction (5/16)} to {fraction             (6/16)} inch- inch Color — a greenish white, near 157C, at             the base and the upper ¾ becoming near 53A, a cardinal red.         -   Anthers.—color — appearing dark red but near 185A from the             greyed-purple group.         -   Pollen.—Color: a medium yellow-orange Quantity: small             amount. -   Pistils, styles and stigmas:     -   -   Quantity.—about half as many as the number of stamens.         -   Styles.—thin and slightly undulate Length: ¼ inch long Color             — near white at the base, near 8D at base, crimson upper ⅔,             near 46A.         -   Stigmas.—color — near 8D. -   Hips: The plant produces viable seeds, average in size for a     miniature rose, but there are none to observe for this patent     application.

PLANT

-   Habit: upright, well branched. -   Growth: average vigor, 18 to 30 inches tall and up to 20 inches in     width. -   Length of flowering stem: often borne on the end of a lateral, 8 to     15 inches long when borne singly, except for the spring flush of     bloom when singly borne flowers are usually on shorter stems, 6 to     10 inches or shorter, and there is a larger percentage of small     sprays. -   Foliage: pinnately compound, usually 5 leaflets, with 3 leaflets     right below the bud and occasionally 7 leaflets.     -   -   Quantity.—abundant.         -   Size of mature leaf.—3⅞ to 5 inches from stem to tip when             measured along the rachis. -   Leaflets:     -   -   Shape.—elongated ovate with an acute apex.         -   Base.—usually oval, occasionally sides of leaflet are not             attached to the petiole directly opposite each other at the             base.         -   Size mature terminal leaflet.—width 1 to 1¼ inches at its             widest point length 1⅝ to 2{fraction (1/16)} inches base to             tip.         -   Color.—new foliage: anthocyanin coloration present; upper             surface, near 147A and flushed heavily with near 187A, under             surface: near 187D, if any green shows through, it is             between 138B and 138A older foliage — anthocyanin coloring             absent; upper surface: between 147A and 139A, under surface             near 147B.         -   Appearance.—upper surface, semi-glossy, underside, matte;             midveins protrude entirely while main lateral veins only             protrude slightly.         -   Texture.—upper surface is glabrous, under surface —             leathery.         -   Edge.—serration: fine and uneven.         -   Petiole/Rachis.—color on young leaf — upper side: near 187A             from the greyed-purple group; underside: flushed heavily             with near 184B, also from the greyed-purple group.         -   Color on old leaf.—upper side: near 147A along edges and             near 145C in the groove; underside: near 137B along both             sides and near 145C along the middle.         -   Texture.—upper side: coarse underside: coarse with small             thorns, prickles and hairs petiole/rachis — length — 2¾ to             3{fraction (1/16)} inches, on mature leaf.         -   Stipules.—margins are finely serrated with a nearly even             serration. on mature leaf measuring ⅞ inch in length. -   Resistance: Average resistance to downy mildew, blackspot, and     insects; good resistance to powdery mildew, no rust observed. -   Wood: New Wood: Color — between 146A and 147A, with a smooth     texture. Old wood: color — near 137B, with many thorns, prickles and     hairs. -   Thorns:     -   -   Quantity on main stalks.—as many as 14 to 16 per inch,             random located and mixed in size.         -   Size.—{fraction (3/32)} inch to {fraction (11/32)} inch in             length and the length of the base of each thorn is as long             as the thorn.         -   On laterals.—from where the lateral attaches to the main             stem, quantity starts the same as on the main stem, although             slightly smaller in size — from {fraction (3/32)} inch to             only {fraction (9/32)} inch in length; progressing up the             lateral, the quantity decreases, and from the bud down to             the first leaf below the bud, there are no thorns or             prickles.         -   Form.—a flat base, tapering to a point, and slightly curved             downward.         -   Color.—when young: near 182A, with tips of near 182C when             old: some are near 164A and some are near 165A. -   Winter hardiness: Tested hardy in zones 5 and 6, winter protection     recommended for zones 7 and colder. 

1. A new and distinct variety of hardy miniature rose plant is claimed, substantially as illustrated and described, with strongly, fragrant flowers of a cardinal red, borne on an upright miniature rose bush with matte foliage. 